Andrea Burzynski | Si Noyce | SIU

Name: Andrea Burzynski

School: Carterville High School

Degree: MS in Teacher Leadership

Years Teaching: 19

Grade levels you teach: 9th-12th

What is your teaching style and philosophy?

When introducing a new strategy, I always try to relate it to a similar problem they have solved previously. When students realize their previous learning doesn't apply to this particular situation, then we can brainstorm a new strategy. It's important for students to understand why their prior knowledge doesn't apply and allows conversation for new techniques. My teaching philosophy relies heavily on the importance of students seeing how all of the mathematical strategies fit together and that they are not separate islands.

How do you see the SIUC Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship in Environmental Sustainability influencing you as an educator, your classroom and your community?

I am excited to encounter new ways to incorporate science in my classroom. I am sure there are numerous ways I can integrate different sciences to provide students with real-world examples. The SIUC Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship will provide me with many opportunities to connect science and math and make math meaningful to their environment - not just a problem from a textbook.